LONDON: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) will be enhancing its collaboration with Cambridge University, says Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
The Mara chairman said he had a discussion with the university's representatives, who were told 12 Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) taught the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus.
"Student performance was very encouraging, with 147 scoring straight As.
"We (Mara) also have a comprehensive educational ecosystem.
"They (Cambridge representatives) were very excited when we shared these facts.
"Our focus is not only sending students overseas but to ensure a path for them to enter Ivy League universities," he told reporters in London on Sunday (June 1).
Asyraf Wajdi is in London as part of the delegation for Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's working visit to Britain.
He said Cambridge representatives have also agreed to go to MRSM to give students a taste of the Cambridge orientation.
"In that sense, students can be prepared early," he said.
Mara has also agreed to conduct joint research and co-funding with Cambridge in areas such as quantum technology and artificial intelligence, said Asyraf Wajdi .
"For example, we will send five lecturers for master's and doctorate courses in Cambridge and the university will sponsor another five," he said.
He added that Mara has also agreed to conduct leadership professional courses to produce professors and lecturers for academia and also for industries.
"The training module will be developed by Cambridge and will take one month," he said.
On another matter, Asyraf Wajdi said three top universities in the United Kingdom have agreed to offer discounts on tuition fees for Mara-sponsored students, namely Warwick University, Birmingham University and Edinburgh University.
"Both Warwick University and Birmingham University have agreed to offer a 20% discount on tuition fees and Edinburgh University offered 10%.
He said this could save Mara about RM103,000 per student over the span of three years.
He added that with the savings, Mara could look into increasing allowances.
"I met with students in Sheffield and Manchester and the feedback that I got is that their cost of living has increased significantly," he said.
